eBay and The National Federation of the Blind making great progress with Business Start-Up Program. Sign-up by January 15

Last September I shared a video interview with you all that talked about eBay’s partnership with the National Federation of the Blind. This week I sat down with Jonas Klink and Amyn Thawer here at eBay to talk about the progress we’d made together and, more importantly, about the January 15 deadline for folks to express their interest in taking part in the jobs development program.

(Please note that because the primary audience for this is the blind / visually impaired community, I have voiced over the written questions in the video that would otherwise normally be left muted – I’ll work on improving the sound quality for future videos)

From the NFB.org website:

The NFB/eBay Entrepreneurs’ Project is looking for serious entrepreneurs who want to create new eBay businesses or expand existing businesses to include eBay selling. We will offer successful applicants intensive eBay training and connect them with successful blind business people and other experts who will provide assistance in specific areas such as business planning, development, and working with accessible accounting software.

Individuals chosen for the Business Start-Up Pilot will take part in an intensive three-day training program at the NFB Jernigan Institute in Baltimore. They will receive transportation, lodging, training classes, accessible training materials, and ongoing mentorship support.
The class will include:

* training in the effective use of the eBay ecommerce portal.
* support with developing basic administration and accounting procedures.
* support in obtaining assistance from state vocational rehabilitation programs.
* assistance understanding the impact of self-employment on Social Security benefits.
* assistance identifying local small business resources.

If running your own eBay business appeals to you, please write us at entrepreneurs@nfb.org and request an Entrepreneurs’ Program package.
The initial proposal submission deadline is January 15 – 9 days away – so the very best of luck to everyone considering participating in the program.